Hydraulic clamp for laterally movable mounted dredges

ABSTRACT

A dredging device having a mounting plate for positioning the device on a vehicle and a slidable carriage movable on the plate. Means are included for sliding the carriage along the plate and locking it in a given location.

United States Patent Schaeff [451 Aug. 1, 1972 [541 HYDRAULIC CLAMP FOR LATERALLY MOVABLE MOUNTED 'DREDGES [72]. Inventor:

(Wurttemberg), Germany 22 Filed: April 24,1969

21 Appl. No.: 818,964

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data April 26, 1968 Germany ..P 17 59 400.2

[52] US. Cl. ..2l4/l38, 214/730 [51] Int. Cl. ..E02f 3/00 [58] Field of Search ..214/l38; 280/456, 456.1; 212/66; 37/103 Hans Schaeff, 7183 Langenburg Primary Examiner-Robert G. Sheridan Attorney-Arthur Schwartz [57] ABSTRACT A dredging device having a mounting plate for positioning the device on a vehicle and a slidable carriage movable on the plate. Means are included for sliding the carriage along the plate and locking it in a given location.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PKTENTED H972 3.580.724

sum 1 or 2 Fig.1

INVENTOR. aws SCI'MEFF BY A Rmwz ScuwA i- Avnm/H PATENTEDA B 1 1972 SHEET E OF 2 Fig.2

Fig-3 mmvron HANS SCHAEFF BY ARTHuR Saw 1 R11 Arum/q HYDRAULIC CLAMP FOR LATERALLY MOVABLE MOUNTED nmzucns This invention relates to mounted dredges which are movably arranged on a guidewhich is attached by means of a slidable carriage to a carrier vehicle and which extends laterallyto the latters longitudinal axis. In particular, it relates to a clamping device designed to fix the slidable carriagein any desired position longitudinally along the lateral guide.

The state of the art shows mounted dredges in which the slidable carriage, which carries the outriggers and the digging tool, is clamped by means of two or more cylinders, similar to the arrangement used in parallel vises or disk brakes. This known type of clamping therefore takes place by the use of tension. The invention is intendedto create a clamping device that locks the device in any given location. This clamping action is achieved with simple hydraulic means and can be easily achieved as well as maintained because of its structure and because it is not vulnerable to failure.

A clamping device for hearing slidable carriages having mounted dredges is characterized through a perpe'ndicularly mountable plate which is held on a carrier vehicle and which has dove-tail-shaped chamfers on the upper and lower gliding pieces on the slidable carriage which grip or-extend over the upper and lower edges of the mountingplate and which come to rest against the chamfers with correspondingly arranged wear-resistant strips, as well as by hydraulic cylinders which are arranged in the vicinity of the upper-or lower edge of the mounting plate in the carriage. When power or stress is applied, the pistons of these hydraulic cylinders press against the plate and thus guarantee form locking'vclamping via the chamfers on the gliding pieces and the plate.

This idea offers the advantage that the carriage, which has'a certain'lateral extent, is held firmly in a form lo'ckingmanner by means of a very simple constructed device. In other words, it is held against the mounting plate in this manner, with all four corners and sides. As a result, the wear andtear of the carriage guide which has-occurred so far in lateral dredging,

that is to say, when the outrigger is swung at an angle of 45 about 90 toward the longitudinal axis of the carrier vehicle, can be extensively avoided, in comparison to the known designs. The clamping device according :to the invention is not confined to slidable carriage 'for mounted dredges; instead, it also extends -to other areas of application in which movable heavy equipment must befixed in certain or preselected positions. The invention will be described in greater detail below andwith reference to the drawings'wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dredge with a mountingplate which is shown held in aposition at the 1 tail end of a'tractor;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view-of a part of the mounting plate with the carriage guided on it;

{FIG 3 is an enlarged cross section through the mounting plate and the carriage.

A'mouriti'ngplate '10 isheld in position, for instance, on'the'tail end of a tractor, as shownin FIG. 1, and a slidable carriage 20 is guided in a movable manner. The outrigger-of a dredgerispositioned on the carriage ona vertical swinging axle. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3,the mounting plate consists of a welded construction with a plate 11 and with horizontally rubbing U-shaped reinforcement parts 12 which constitute a hollow frame with the plate. Providedon this hollow frame are suspension loops or other means. of attachment (not shown), in order to establish a firm connection with thecarrier vehicle. On the horizontal upper and lower edges of plate there are provided chamfers 1'3 and 14,-preferably at-an angle of 45, which, considered together, give a dove-tail guide for the carriage 20.

The'carriage is likewise made in the form of a welded construction and consists of upper and lower gliding pieces 21 and 22, which are firmly connected with each other via bracing parts 23, 24. Furthermore,

' horizontal plates 25 and 26 are welded onto the carriage 20. The vertical swivel axis of the dredge is guided in these plates.

Gliding pieces 21 and 22.of the carriage contain lon- 20 gitudinal grooves 27 and 28, one of whose side wall is chamfered in adaptation to the chamfers l3 and 14 of plate ll, likewise at an angle of 45, each time. Interchangeable wear-resistant guide strips 29 may be attached to these chamfers of grooves 27 and 28. The upper and lower gliding pieces 21 and 22 can, in each case, consist of two individual parts which constitute the lateral ends and corners of carriage '20 and which are connected to each other with the help of bracing parts 23, 24.

Near the lateral ends of the upper gliding piece 21, horizontal glide bushings 30 are built in, according to FIG. 3. In each of these glide bushings, a freely movable piston 31 is guided.0ne of the end surfaces of pistons 31 is opposite the mounting plate 10 while the other end surface can be stressed hydraulically by a 4O 30. A pressure-medium duct 35 is provided in that lid.

This duct is connected to the hydraulic power supply of the dredge. I

FIG. 3 shows the condition in which the pistons 31 are under hydraulic tension, whereby they press against the mounting plate 10 and lock the carriage 20. On the basis of this procedure, gliding pieces 21 and 22 come to rest against chamfers Band 14 of plate 11 with their wear-resistant strips 29 so that the carriage remains firm also when the dredgersoutrigger is swung around at an angle of If the bearing sled is to be adjusted laterally toward the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, then the hydraulic pressure in pressure chamber 32 is reduced. In the arrangement of the cylinders as shown in the drawing,':the pistons 31 are pressed back over the upper charnfer by the inherent weight of the bearing sled and the dredge outrigger, so that there is no need for a special recovery spring for the pistons. As the result of this, a leeway develops along the lower charnfer, so thatathe carriage20 can bemoved laterally.

The hydraulic cylinders, constituted by glide bushings 30 andpistons 31, can be replaced by clamping screws whose rotation motion is synchronized via a common mechanical or hydraulic drive. Of course, pistons 31 can also be built into the lower gliding pieces 22in order to initiate the clamping of the carriage from the lower part of built-on plate 10.

I- claim:

l. A device for mounting a slidable carriage for a riage arranged adjacent to said top edge of said dredge to a plate comprising: mounting plate,

a. a mounting plated for attachment to a vehicle, said f. piston means in said hydraulic cylinder for locking mounting plate having a thin, planar surface and said slidable carriage to said mounting plate, including a pair of U-shaped hollow r i f r i 5 g. said cylinder including a pressure medium duct members secured to one side thereof, means for providing fluid to said cylinder, whereby b. a slidable carriage for carrying the dredg said piston abuts said mounting plate when fluid is c. said mounting plate having top and bottom edges PP ihel'elo. I

with beveled chamfers, said beveled chamfers devlfie accPrdmg to claim 1 Where"! Said being only beveled in a direction away from said hydraullc cylmdels lmflude Plate at one end and a carriage toward said one side, glide bushing surrounding said piston.

d. said slidable carriage including upper and lower A devlce accordfng to l 1 sfilld glide pieces having complementary h f f plementary chamfersmclude wear-resistant strips. receiving said beveled chamfers, said glide pieces A devlce according to clalm 1 wherein i being connected by bracing means, beveled chamfers are at an angle of approximately 45 e. at least one hydraulic cylinder on said slidable car- 

1. A device for mounting a slidable carriage for a dredge to a plate comprising: a. a mounting plated for attachment to a vehicle, said mounting plate having a thin, planar surface and including a pair of Ushaped hollow reinforcing members secured to one side thereof, b. a slidable carriage for carrying the dredge, c. said mounting plate having top and bottom edges with beveled chamfers, said beveled chamfers being only beveled in a direction away from said carriage toward said one side, d. said slidable carriage including upper and lower glide pieces having complementary chamfers for receIving said beveled chamfers, said glide pieces being connected by bracing means, e. at least one hydraulic cylinder on said slidable carriage arranged adjacent to said top edge of said mounting plate, f. piston means in said hydraulic cylinder for locking said slidable carriage to said mounting plate, g. said cylinder including a pressure medium duct means for providing fluid to said cylinder, whereby said piston abuts said mounting plate when fluid is applied thereto.
 2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said hydraulic cylinders include a plate at one end and a glide bushing surrounding said piston.
 3. A device according to claim 1 wherein said complementary chamfers include wear-resistant strips.
 4. A device according to claim 1 wherein said beveled chamfers are at an angle of approximately 45*. 